The Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project’s (PRISP) report for 2015-16 has recently been published. The long-term study is made possible by a bespoke performance management and monitoring system, developed for rugby authorities by The Sports Office.

The study is intended to improve professional player welfare and is the most comprehensive of its type. The project was first commissioned in 2002 and was jointly created by the RFU, Premier Rugby and the Rugby Players Association. It monitors player injury risk in Premiership, European club and representative competition, as well as in training.

The Sports Office worked with senior medical staff at the RFU to design and develop a powerful system which allows sports medicine and performance personnel at participating clubs and national teams to easily input an extensive range of medical and performance data. The system allows for this information to be shared immediately with coaches, directors of rugby and other key staff. The system also compiles the collected data to generate baselines, create comprehensive reports and identify patterns and trends of injuries via comparison with previous seasons.

The Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project’s annual report is made possible by a bespoke performance management and monitoring system developed by The Sports Office

Sports Office Client Manager Neil Holland commented: “It’s pleasing to see that the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project continues to provide the sport with important data that can help improve standards of player welfare and medical management. Our system is a powerful tool and resource to support this long-term study and hence the ongoing work of rugby’s sports medicine and performance practitioners.”

Holland added: “We continue to work with our clients at the RFU, Premier Rugby and other governing bodies to offer them the levels of support they require. We look forward to playing our part in further improving this crucial aspect of the sport.”

Speaking in a press release about the report, jointly issued by the RFU and Premier Rugby, RFU Chief Medical Officer Simon Kemp said: “This is an important study that helps us understand injury trends in the professional game in England. Since this surveillance project began in 2002 the injury rate has remained relatively stable however last season has shown a decline in match injuries; lower than any other season.

“We need to be cautious about interpreting the data in a Rugby World Cup year that led to a change in the domestic season structure. We certainly can’t now say that the professional game is safer from these single-season results and we need to continue to monitor injury risk to clarify if this is a trend or not.”

Previously Simon Kemp has also praised The Sports Office’ work in the development of the performance management and monitoring system for the project. He said: “The Sports Office system provides a comprehensive electronic medical record with an integrated injury surveillance function.

In the same joint press release about the recent PRISP report, Corin Palmer, Head of Rugby Operations at Premiership Rugby, also said: “Player welfare is Premiership Rugby’s number one priority and the Professional Rugby Injury Surveillance Project continues to provide important information which allows us alongside our 12 clubs to establish and maintain world-class standards when treating any player who has been injured in any way.”

Among the key findings from the PRISP report for 2015-16 season were that the incidence of match injuries in the Premiership was lower than reported in any previous season. Data collection during the 2016-17 season will help clarify whether this is the start of a trend towards a lower overall injury incidence or an atypical year. A copy of the PRISP report for 2015-16 season and further details can be read on the Aviva Premiership Rugby website, here.

Among the company’s varied client base, are many elite rugby organisations. These include national governing bodies, teams in SANZAR’s Super Rugby competition, the Australian NRL and many clubs in the UK’s Rugby League Super League.

A new study by one of the world’s largest sports federations has underlined that effective load management is critical to injury prevention for elite performers. The extensive monitoring and measurement recommended in the study can be readily implemented, via the dedicated module within Sports Office performance management systems.

World Rugby, which works with 120 member Unions and oversees 6.7 million players worldwide, commissioned the study. It examined the management of game and training load for elite players and was recently published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The study examined “loads (activity levels) encountered by professional rugby players” in order to “better understand the impact on physical and mental health, with the objective of determining potential recommendations for injury prevention.” Findings from the study have been released to increase awareness of injury-prevention throughout the game.

The Sports Office load management module is capable of generating a range of detailed reports.

Among these are that “loads should be individually managed” as some players “may be at higher risk of injury such as those returning from injury, inexperienced players or those who have taken a step-up in competition level.“ The study also recommended that “coaches/team personnel look closely at managing load via planning and adapting training sessions” with “clear communication regarding short and long term load monitoring and management goals.”

“Having reviewed the World Rugby study, we believe the load management module within our performance management systems is the perfect fit for any elite rugby organisation seeking to implement these recommendations or any elite sports organisation seeking to use a similar approach to injury prevention and performance optimisation.”, commented The Sports Office Managing Director Phil Clarke.

“The module offers users a powerful and accurate means of quickly and effectively evaluating the impact of ALL training and preparation activities. It also offers the efficient communication opportunities described in the research. ”

Clarke added: “We believe this World Rugby study is a highly important and beneficial development for the global game. The power and capacity of our Sports Office load management functionality will support those who seek to adopt its findings.”

Using data for load management

The Sports Office “load management” module dynamically brings together data held in the Preparation and Sports Science areas of the system. A player/athlete tracker is also at the heart of the load management functionality. This provides an array of user defined options for personalised monitoring, including the ability to see individual and team information. Also included is the capability to monitor both acute and chronic loads and to manage training stress balance.

The module – which also offers a more visually engaging overview of information – will create further improvements in the performance workflow via dedicated areas which display data for staff with specific roles. The ability of The Sports Office online performance management systems to offer instant access to accurate reports, based on load management readings, are also central to the module as is the capability to send “alerts” to staff opting to receive them.

You can read more about the development of The Sports Office “load management” module here.

Full details of the World Rugby study ‘Managing player load in professional rugby union: a review of current knowledge and practices’,can be found here.

Super League club Warrington Wolves has praised The Sports Office’ rugby platform, The Rugby Squad.

The Wolves use the system across their entire rugby operations, including first team and scholarship players. The club consistently competes for major honours. and recently appeared in the Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, with a squad featuring 14 home-grown players. And now a senior member of Warrington’s team management and coaching staff – who is a former Super League player and Ireland international – has underlined the Rugby Squad’s benefits.

“The Rugby Squad is a powerful tool which delivers great benefits to our organisation, across many key areas”, said Head of Rugby Operations, Karl Fitzpatrick.

“The system enhances our ability to monitor training load, manage our performance data and communicate effectively. It has increased the effectiveness and efficiency of our coaching and preparation activities across all grades.”

Karl Fitzpatrick added: “The support we received from The Sports Office Client Management team meant the implementation of the system into our coaching and performance processes was very smooth. The ongoing support they provide also enables us to maximise our use of the platform.”

The Rugby Squad supports many members of the Wolves backroom staff. This includes coaches as well as staff involved in strength and conditioning, sports science, sports medicine, performance analysis and youth development. The system is also used by operations and administration teams and club commercial staff.

The system allows staff to quickly and efficiently arrange all team activities, collate all data, monitor and analyse that data and thus allow evidence based decision making on vital performance issues. Reports and information generated within the system are also provided directly to the club’s Board on a regular basis.

The Sports Office is to attend the International Rugby Board’s (IRB) second World Rugby Conference and Exhibition (IRB World Rugby ConfEx) – which takes place on November 17th and 18th in London.

The company will be represented by members of its Client Management team, within the Exhibition area. The event will also feature the IRB Medical Commission Conference, alongside various group discussions and workshops.

“We are delighted to be participating in the IRB World Rugby Conference and Exhibition”, commented Phil Clarke, Director of The Sports Office.

“With the start of the Rugby World Cup less than a year away, this prestigious event will provide a great opportunity for us to meet with many key figures and decision-makers in world rugby, and understand the important, emerging trends within the industry.”

“We are also relishing the opportunity to gain further insight from the Medical Commission Conference which will no doubt be an important element of the wider event. We currently work in partnership with the RFU to support their cutting-edge sports medicine and injury monitoring programmes and thus we have a significant interest in this area.”

The World Rugby ConfEx was launched by the IRB in 2013 with the aim of bringing together the global Rugby family and maximise opportunities for all involved in the sport. The inaugural event saw representatives from over 100 National Unions among the 600 delegates, and over 30 international exhibitors.

Speakers including Patrick Hickey (President of the European Olympic Committees), George Gregan (former Australia captain), Agustin Pichot (IRB Council Member for Argentina) and British Olympic Association Chairman, Lord Coe have previously appeared at the event.

Sports Office MD Phil Clarke and Client Manager Carl Pomfret attended the one-day event which aimed to explore and discuss current research, relating to both Union and League and to identify future directions and trends.

“The Rugby Research symposium at UCLAN was a thought provoking and stimulating event”, commented Phil Clarke.

“As provider of performance management systems for professional rugby clubs and federations, the conference proved to be a tremendous opportunity for The Sports Office to keep up to date with some of the latest thinking and research in these areas”.

Clarke added: ”The symposium also provided a great chance to meet with a number of people who are directly involved in delivering high performance in elite rugby”.